Strange Textures

Vienna 1889 After I set my stall out as being non-judgemental, welcoming of mistake and failure with its essential humanity, unwilling to codify behaviour and trying to treat people and moments as individual instances deserving of care, compassion, and consideration it suddenly becomes really difficult to make big sweeping statements. So I become quieter. It is Springtime here and the mountains ar...

Additional Notes for October 2025. Might be the only additional notes episode this season, I ramble on a bit about why, what next, and make some media recommendations.

I got another postcard: Space, Worp 0.5 I prefer to not codify right and wrong. It seems like a difficult job to me although I can see the benefit in terms of making it easy to separate things, cut down on thinking, and boost your own ego. It’s less easy, and I don’t always manage it but I try to only decide if I really have to, not judging seems better to me. So I try to apply Care, Compassion, a...

Season 6 starts now, just about in time for the autumn equinox. New England 1954. If you don’t fit in. If you are always wrong. If you make mistakes. Welcome. We make mistakes. We fail. Because we try. We care. We aim to do good things, for ourselves, and for others. We have standards we sometimes fall short of. But we celebrate the mistakes, the fails, because they are what makes us human. It is...

Ssssshhhhhh! Don’t tell anyone but here is the only place to get the Secret Solstice episode! It’s also where I tell you that I did the thing and have some albums to release. As loyal listeners, you get to know first. There will be a proper release plan and stuff going on at some point (probably), but for now, just for you, there are three new albums if you want to have a look. I’ve described the...

The last additional notes for season 5. Ebows, evolution, and excitement. Looking forward to Uncanny summer specials and catching up on Poker Face season 2.

This might be an odd way to do a 100th episode and final in the season, but I’m staying true to the intent - it’s been a mixed day and this is ambiguous, not simply happy or sad but a mixture of happy and frustrated and comforted and many other things all at the same time.

Additional Notes for 29/05/2025. Other than talking a bit about space, playing less, and thinking about highlight albums, here are the links that I mention: Bonkcast EP (my Bonk Wave/No Bonk Wave tracks) Melondruie - Variations on Into the depths an excellent album to get and listen to This Occasional Society Newsletter Signup - worth getting this each month and the archive of past newsletter is l...

I mean it how it is, how it sounds. Sculptures made out of fractured breath. Whose breath? Ssshhh, that’s a secret.

Shorter this week (I hear sighs of relief)! Quick tech update on using a mixer more, musings about having a break and possibly having an idea for Season 6. Completely forgot to say I’m also working out whether to do the highlight albums thing that I normally do. Ideas welcome!

What’s that in the distance? Not black helicopters coming over the border, no. Blackcurrant helicopters, rotors beating a pattern into your brain that just won’t go away.

Long ramble this week about overusing a preset, loving my guitar, and working out how to be active in the world without creating the wrong influence. Possibly by turning a WWII airplane into the new Mystery Machine. Rokay! I get my guitars here: Munson Guitars

A space, holy, candle lit, fragrant. Also made of rather runny lime jelly.

Is there a difference between underwater and under waves? Either way, I get the date wrong, so don’t write in to tell me. I already know. Probably got the background music wrong too!

This week I’m exploring underwater.

A little bit this week about drumming and frustration, plus some good things and an abandoned BonkWave submission! Good Things: Taskmaster - New season has started and has Jason Mantzoukas Emma Cox - art from Cornwall (or Kernow if you prefer) Website Mastodon - @ Emmacox@writing.exchange

It’s my sister’s birthday today - Happy Birthday Sam!

On the influence of forests, how appropriate the word ‘fuzz’ is and some thoughts on teh textures involved in melody and harmony.

This week I start very small and very quiet, like a little creature in the forest visiting different campfires with different flavours.

Just a quick ramble about trying to play less and using different basic playing techniques to get ‘round’ sounds. Also a plug for the new Bonk Wave Remix Album ( available here ) and other places too - the announcements will be on the main Bonkwave.org page .

I mean, the title says most of the words for this. The rest is the sound uo can hear…

What was I thinking with the last episode - find out here! Also a quote from Death Comes to St Ives by Jo Silva and Johnny Greenwood from Radiohead. About being human and celebrating imperfection!

Another week, less words… Sshhhh….

IA quick run through what happened with the last episode and an update of what I’m reading and listening to: Natalie Haynes - Divine Might Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics - BBC Show

And we’re back with no gap! I have no idea what this sounds like, I have no time to listen or check, just a note that says 20 years in an alien foresst, so I guess that’s the title. Does it work? Does it fit? No idea. Maybe I’m getting closer to becoming a certified failure…